Strip support assemblies



W. R. CONNERY STRIP SUPPORT ASSEMBLIES Nov. 22, 1966 2 sheets sheet 1 Filed Nov. 19, 1964 a Z b iilliii vli 1| I H H H w. [/H mwumw w 1 u Inventor William F0170?" Cannery 5% 4 4 4 A7TL7RNEY5.

Nov. 22, 1966 w. R. CONNERY STRIP SUPPORT ASSEMBLIES Filed Nov. 19, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor William Robe/'2 60/701240 AWE/W635".

United States Patent Ofiice 3,286,662 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 3,286,662 STRIP SUPPORT ASSEMBLIES William R. Connery, Clady Works, Dunadry, Northern Ireland Filed Nov. 19, 1964, Ser. No. 412,552 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 21, 1963,

46,044/63 7 Claims. (Cl. 108-444) This invention relates to the mounting of carrier devices such as shelf supports or brackets, display stands and hooks.

There have heretofore been proposed shelf-supporting assemblies consisting of lengths of flat, channel section, or angled metal frame components in which the faces are provided with continuous series of slots and lock members are provided for assembling lengths into support frames. Such support frames are, however, disadvantageous in that they present an unsightly appearance which creates sales resistance and dust readily accumulates in the slots.

An object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

The present invention is a carrier-device mounting comprising in combination at least one carrier-device mounting member having or including a channel section and adapted tobe secured to a fixed structure, or between two fixed structures, with the channel section exterior accessible, at least two carrier devices each having a root portion which includes a base adapted to overlie that of the channel section externally and flanked by parts then engageable at the sides of the channel section, said root portion being slidable along said member, and means for 10- cating said root portion on said member in a selective position.

' The present invention is also a carrier-device mounting comprising in combination at least two carrier device mounting members each including two channel sections which are integral or integrated to form a rectangular section and adapted to be secured between two fixed structures, four or a multiple of four carrier devices each having a root portion which includes a base adapted to overlie that of a channel section externally and flanked by parts then engageable at the sides of the channel section, said root portion being slidable along a said member, and means for locating the root portion of each one of the or each four carrier devices on a separate channel section of each of the two members.

Preferably, the base of the or each channel section protrudes beyond one side wall of said section to form a longitudinal lip, and each said root portion has at one side a return bend or elbow engageable about said lip and at the other side a flange to lie over the other side wall of said section, said flange and other side wall having therein axially-alignable holes engageable by the shank of a stud or the like.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a shelving construction according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view through one of the two bracket-support members of FIG. 1, the section being above the level of the bracket and the shelf being omitted;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, side and front elevations of one of the bracket-supporting members;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a side elevation and a plan view of one of the brackets of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of another shelving construction according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view through the bracketsupport member of FIG. 7, the section being adjacent the bracket and the shelf being omitted; and

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view through a mounting member illustrating a hanger device mounted thereon.

Referring firstly to. FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the shelving construction there illustrated comprises shelves 10, only of which is shown, each supported on brackets 11 secured on bracket-mounting members 12 by means of set screws 13. The bracket-mounting members of the shelf-supporting assembly 11 to 13 are secured vertically at spaced intervals to a wall by means of screws which engage, for example, in plugs in the wall.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a bracket-mounting member 12 and this is of channel section with a projecting longitudinal lip or tongue 16 forming an outward extension of the base 17 of the channel, the Web or side wall 18 remote from the lip 16 having therein a longitudinal series of holes 19 equally spaced apart and closer to the base 17 of the channel than to the free edge of the web 18.

The web or side wall beyond which the lip 16 projects is denoted 20 (see FIG. 2) and a plurality of holes 21 is formed in the base 17 to enable the member 12 to be secured to a wall by means of screws, the base 17 being remote from the wall when the member 12 is so secured,

that is the channel being inturned. The holes 21 are countersunk to be filled by the heads of the fixing screws so that the latter are flush with the outside surface of the base 17.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a bracket 11. This has a root or saddle portion 22 of internal surface sectional configuration similar to the external surface sectional configuration of a bracket-mounting number 12, excluding the side wall 20 of the latter, and comprises a flat median wall 23 which is flanked at one side by a flange 24 and at the other side by a return bend or elbow 25 defining a recess 26 with the adjacent side of the wall 23. A plate 27 extends normally from the root portion 22 in the opposite direction from the flange 24 and elbow 25 and at right angles to the flange 24, the plate being integral with the root portion 22 and being offset relative to the axis of the median wall 23 in the direction of the elbow side of said wall. The plate 27 is buttressed at its underside by a centrally disposed web 28 which is unitary therewith and with the median wall 23. The web 28 is of substantially triangular shape diminishing progressively in height from adjacent the median wall 23.

The plate 27 has two openings 29 for passage of the shanks of screws for fixing a shelf 10 in position, and the flange 24 has a tapped opening 30 for passage of the shank of a set screw 13. The ends 33 of the screws 13 are plain and of reduced diameter to enter snugly into the holes 19 with which the openings 30 are selectively brought into axial registry on height adjustment of the brackets 11 on the members 12 (see FIG. 2). The head 31 of each screw is knurled as best seen in FIG. 2, and is provided with a slot 32 for convenience of manipulation.

Brackets 11 can be mounted on a member 12 by hooking the elbows 25 over the lip 16 and pivoting the brackets can, of course, be dismounted by a reversal if this procedure. When brackets 11 are so mounted on members 12 and are located by screws 13, they are rigid with the member 12 and provide adequate support for shelves. The front surfaces of the members 12 are fiat and present a flat, smooth and clean appearance, the screw holes 21 being filled up by the heads of the fixing screws when the members are mounted, and the brackets 11 can be readily adjusted in height thereon so that shelves can be located as convenient to the user.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, parts already identified are denoted by similar reference numbers and the essential differences in this embodiment over that already described are that the bracket-support member 12 is horizontally disposed-say against a wall--and the brackets 11 (only one of which is shown) have upturned outer edges 33, the holes 29 not being provided in this instance. In this embodiment the shelf 34 is located by the edges '33 and may be of glass. It will be noted that the locating screws 13 are on the underside and that the plate 35 and web 36 are turned anti-clockwise through a right angle relative to the position of the similar parts 27 and 28 of the previous embodiment, i.e. the plate 35 is parallel to the flange 24. The plate 35 is flush with the elbow side of the median wall 23 of the root or saddle portion 22 and is substantially centrally positioned.

The invention is applicable alsoto the support of carrier devices other than shelf brackets from a member or members 12, such devices including inter alia display stands for various articles such as hats and shoes, and hooksor the like from which articles can be hung.

FIG. 9 shows a hanger device 40 mounted on a member 12 which is disposed horizontally against a wall (not shown) and secured to the latter by screws engaged through the countersunk holes 21 hereinbefore referred to.

Parts already described are denoted in FIG. 9 by the same reference numerals as in the previous embodiments.

The hanger device 40 includes a root or saddle portion 41 similar to the root or saddle portion 22 of the other illustrated embodiments of the invention. The root or saddle portion 41 has an internal surface sectional configuration similar to the external surface sectional configuration of the member 12, excluding the side wall of the latter, and comprises a flat median wall 42 which is flanked at one side by a flange 43 and at the other side by a return bend or elbow 44 defining a recess 45 with the adjacent side of the wall 42.

The hanger device 40 includes a lower hook portion 46 and an upper straight outwardly and upwardly sloping hanger portion 47 which are extensions in the downward and upward directions from the median wall 42. The flange 43 has a tapped opening (not seen) for passage of the shank of a set screw 13 to enter one of the holes 19 (not seen) in theweb or side wall 18 of the member 12 with which the tapped opening is brought into registry on adjustment of the hanger device '40 along the mounting member 12.

In a modification, the carrier-device mounting members 12 do not have a lip or tongue 16, and the walls 20 thereof have a longitudinal series of holes similar to and axially aligned with the holes 19 in the walls 18. The carrier devices 11 and 40 have plain flanges, similar to the flanges 24 and 43, in substitution for the return bends or elbows and 44 and these plain flanges have holes aligned with the holes in the flanges 24 and 43, the latter holes not being tapped in this case. In mounting a so-modified bracket 11 on a so-modified member 12, the root or saddle portion of the bracket 11 hanger device 40, or other carrier device, is engaged about the member 12 and slid longitudinally of the latter to bring the holes in the flanges into axial alignment with the holes in the side walls 18 and 20 of the member. A spring-loaded stud is preferably used for locating the bracket 11 on the member 12, the shank extending through the four axially aligned holes.

In the embodiments of the invention which have already been described, the carrier-device mounting members are adapted to be secured to a fixed structure such as a wall. However, the invention is also applicable to carrier-device mountings to be erected away from a wall, in which case the carrier-device mounting members are rectangular in cross-section and, in effect, incorporate two carrier device-mounting members 12 as illustrated, or in accordance with the modification, mounted back to back, that is with the bases remote from one another and both channel section exteriors accessible. Thus carrier devices can be mounted to extend in two opposed directions and two sets of shelving can be supported. The holes 21 are superfluous in this instance and are not provided, the ends of the members having fitted thereto, or fitting into, suitable shoes for fixtures to floors and ceilings. such carrierdevice-mounting members are preferably extrusions.

- The components of the carrier-device-mountings illustrated, or in accordance with the modification, may be of metal such as aluminum or an alloy thereof, or of a suitable synthetic resin such as extruded nylon.

What I claim is:

1. A carrier-device mounting, comprising, in combination, two carrier-device-mounting members each including two channel sections which are integral to form a rectangular section and adapted to be secured between two fixed structures, each member having a channel-shaped root portion which includes a channel-shaped base adapted to overlie a channel section externally in nested relation and flanked by parts engageable at the sides of the channel section, said root portion being slidable along said member, and means for securing the root portion of each carrier-device on a separate channel section of each of the two members, the base of the channel section protruding beyond one side wall of said section to form a longitudinal lip, and each said root portion having at one side a return bend engageable about said lip and at the other side a flange to lie over the other side wall of said section, said flange and other side Wall having therein axially aligna'ble holes engageable by the shank of a stud.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1, wherein the holes in said other side wall are plain and the holes in each said flange are tapped and of greater diameter than the side wall holes, and said shank is threaded to engage in the tapped holes and 'has a plain end of reduced diameter to enter snugly into the plain holes.

3. The combination claimed in claim 2, wherein said stud has a slotted head. 4. The combination claimed in claim 1 in which each root portion has two flanges to lie over the side walls of a channel section when the bases are in registry, the flanges and side walls having therein axially-alignable holes engageable by the shank of a stud or the like.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4 wherein each car-rier-device-mounting member is of channel section with holes in the base of the channel to enable securing of the member to a wall, said hole-s being countersunk at the external face of the channel to receive .the heads of fixing screws so as not to detract from the smooth appearance of said face.

6. The combination claimed in claim 4, wherein each carrier device includes a plate integral with the noot portion and extending normally from the base thereof in the opposed direction from said flanging parts, said plate being buttressed at its underside by a Web disposed centrally thereof and integral therewith and with said base, said web diminishing in height outwardly from adjacent said base.

7. The combination claimed in claim 6, wherein said plate has openings for passage of the shanks of screws for fixing in position a shelf laid over the plates.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FRA'NK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

, CASMIR A. NUNBERG, JAMES T. McCALL,

Examiners. 

1. A CARRIER-DEVICE MOUNTING, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, TWO CARRIER-DEVICE-MOUNTING MEMBERS EACH INCLUDING TWO CHANNEL SECTIONS WHICH ARE INTEGRAL TO FORM A RECTANGULAR SECTION AND ADAPTED TO BE SECURED BETWEEN TWO FIXED STRUCTURES, EACH MEMBER HAVING A CHANNEL-SHAPED ROOT PORTION WHICH INCLUDES A CHANNEL-SHAPED BASE ADAPTED TO OVERLIE A CHANNEL SECTION EXTERNALLY IN NESTED RELATION AND FLANKED BY PARTS ENGAGEABLE AT THE SIDES OF THE CHANNEL SECTION, SAID ROOT PORTION BEING SLIDABLE ALONG SAID MEMBER, AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE ROOT PORTION OF EACH CARRIER-DEVICE ON A SEPARATE CHANNEL SECTION OF EACH OF THE TWO MEMBERS, THE BASE OF THE CHANNEL SECTION PROTRUDING BEYOND ONE SIDE WALL OF SAID SECTION TO FORM A LONGITUDINAL LIP, AND EACH SAID ROOT PORTION HAVING AT ONE SIDE A RETURN BEND ENGAGEABLE ABOUT SAID LIP AND AT THE OTHER SIDE A FLANGE TO LIE OVER THE OTHER SIDE WALL OF SAID SECTION, SAID FLANGE AND OTHER SIDE WALL HAVING THEREIN AXIALLY ALIGNABLE HOLES ENGAGEABLE BY THE SHANK OF A STUD. 